Governor structure



Sept; 28; 1943. H. G. ADLER' GOVERNOR STRUCTURE Original Filed Oct. 27, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGJ.

INVENTOR.

HERMAN G.ADLER BY 13% M ATTORNEYS p 1943. H. G. ADLER 2,330,657

GOVERNOR STRUCTURE Original Filed 001;. 2'7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I I INVENTOR.

HERMAN G. ADLER ATTORNEYS .fi atented Sept. 28, 1943 UNITED STATE.

qoyaanon STRUCTURE Herman G. Adler, Detroit, Micln, assi'gnor to Novl Equipment Company, Novi, Mich., a corpora tion of Michigan Original application October-.27, 1941, Serial No. 416,760, now Patent No. 2,319,654, dated May 18, 1943. Divided and this application April 12,

1943, Serial No. 482,784

8 Claims. (Cl. 308-233) This invention relates generally to governor structures and constitutes a division of my application filed October 27, 1941, bearing Serial No. 416,760, now matured into Patent No. 2,319,654, issued May 18, 1943.

One of the essential objects of the invention is to provide a governor that may be combined in such a way with a rotating shaft and gear that space may be conserved and the efficiency of the governor will be increased.

Another object is to provide a governor wherein the speed responsive mechanism thereof is located within a recess in the gear and is adapted to actuate means movable axially of'the shaft to impart a thrust to a spring biased control lever.

Another object is to provide a governor wherein the thrust imparting means includes an antifriction element engageable with a flattened free end of the spring biased control level:

Another object is to provide a governonwherein provision is made for adjusting the spring employed to bias the control lever.

Another object is to provide a governor that is simple in construction, economical to manu-- facture, easy to install and effective in operation.

Other objects, advantages and novel details of construction of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a horizontal section through my complete governor assembly;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary end View of the governor construction, partly in section;

Figure 3 is a detail elevation of one element of the drive plate assembly; a

Figure 4 is a detail elevation of the other element of the drive plate assembly; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the thrust bearing and associated parts.

Referring first to Figure 1, I have illustrated at H) a cam shaft of an internal combustion engine mounted for rotation in a crank case bearing II, and having keyed or otherwise secured thereto, as indicated at I2, a gear l3.

A detachable engine gear case cover I4 is normally provided, and in the present instance I have modified this cover, as will subsequently be described. The gear I 3 is provided with teeth [5, and is also-formed with a laterally open annular recess l6 which houses a portion of the governing mechanism.

The governing mechanism comprises centrifugal means, indicated generally at l1. which will now be described.

The annular, laterally open recess I6 is formed so as to leave a hub portion l8 on the gear, and rotatably mounted on the hub portion I8 is a plate 19 and sleeve 20 which rotate together as a unit. The sleeve 20 may be spun or swedged to the plate l9.

The outer end of the cam shaft ID has a mum terbore 25 in which is rotatably received a shaft 26 that in turn is counterbored at its outer end, as will subsequently be described in detail, and has a flange 21 securing in place a second annular plate or disc 28. The plate 28 is secured against rotation on the shaft 26, as for example by providing a brazed connection between the flange 21 and the plate or disc 28.

The plate 28 is flat throughout its central portion but its periphery is inclined inwardly toward the plate l9 as indicated at 29.

As a result of this construction, a space 291: tapering in a radially outward direction is defined by the plate l9 and the inclined portion 29 of the plate 28.

-Intermediate the plates [9 and 28 I provide aplurality of steel balls 30, and in the present instance I have illustrated nine such balls. A drive plate assembly indicated generally at 3! is provided for rotating the balls about the axis of the cam shaft 10 as the cam shaft rotates while the engine is running.

The drive plate assembly 3| will subsequently be described in detail, but for the present it is suflicient to note that the same is keyed or other wise secured to a reduced portion 32 of the cam shaft and is held in place thereon by means of a washer 33 and a nut 34 threaded on a further reduced portion 35 of the cam shaft.

The engine gear case cover I4 is provided with a central opening 40 surrounded by a thickened portion 4|, and a cover plate 42 is provided for the opening 40 and is secured to the thickened portion 4| by means of bolts 43. The cover plate 42 is shaped to provide an outwardly projecting inwardly open boss 45, in which is mounted a pin or shaft 46, best seen in Figure 2. The. pin 46 is seated at one end, as indicated at 41, in a socket formed at one end of the boss and extends outwardly through an opening, as indicated at 48, at the other end of the boss. Suitable roller bearings for supporting the shaft 46 are indicated at 49, and an oil seal is provided as indicated at 50.

Pinned to the shaft 46 at substantially its mid portion and within the inwardly opening recess provided by the boss 45 is a short lever arm 5| which terminates at its free end in a flat portion 52. which is preferably hardened for a purpose which will later appear. The outer end of the shaft 46 has secured thereto a lever 55 which is provided at its free end'with a link 56 adapted to be connected in the usual manner to the carburetor throttle (not shown).

Resilient means are provided for biasing the lovers 55 and 5| in a clockwise direction so as to cause the fiattened surface 52 of the lever 5| to engage a portion of the centrifugal means. This resilient means takes the form of a coil compression spring 51 having a seat 58 pivoted at 59 to the lever 55 and an adjustable seat 60 carried by an adjusting bolt 6| provided with a lock nut 62. As will be apparent, the compression of the spring and hence the adjustment of the governor may be varied by suitable adjustment of the bolt 6|.

The shaft 26 is provided at its free end with a relatively large eounterbore 65 and a smaller eounterbore 66. Seated within the eounterbore 66 is a plug 61 having a forwardly extending projection 68 which projects beyond the bottom of the eounterbore 65. A plurality of small ball bearings 69 are provided in the bottom of the eounterbore 65 about the projection 68. A larger ball 70 is seated within the eounterbore 65 and engages the plurality of ball bearings 69. The ball I is retained within the eounterbore 65 by reason of a locking ring II, and a portion of the ball I0 projects outwardly beyond the adjacent end of the shaft 26.

As will be apparent from an inspection of Figure 1, the ball 10 engages the fiat hardened surface 52 of the lever when the shaft 26 is moved outwardly in its eounterbore by reason of radial outward movement of the balls 30 under centrifugal action. This movement of the parts is of course opposed by the compression spring 51, as will be readily apparent.

During operation of the governor, when the outer plate 28 moves axially as a result of radially outward movement of the balls 36, it causes lever 5| to rotate about its axis. As a result of this movement of the lever 5|, a point on the surface 52, which engages the ball 10, moves in an arc. Therefore, if the ball 16 were not mounted for rotation, there would be rubbing and friction between this ball and the fiat surface 52. However, since the ball is free to rotate within the eounterbore 65, and since it is further supported by a plurality of ball bearings 69, friction between the ballHl and the surface 52 is reduced to a negligible quantity. This in turn reduces the side thrust on the shaft 26, making the governor performance highly responsive and eliminating lag. I

The eounterbore 65 is so small that the use oftools during assembly of balls 69 is impossible. In order'to permit this assembly to be easily made without tools, the projection 68 causes the balls to assume their proper relationship. Accordingly it is only necessary to introduce the proper number of ball bearings 69 into the eounterbore 65 and to thereafter introduce the large ball 10 therein. The ball 1|], in conjunction with the projection 68, will thereupon force the ball bearings 59 to assume their proper operating position, and the ring 1| may then be snapped into the groove provided therefor in the interior of the eounterbore 65.

As is apparent, the governor may be assembled on the cam shaft l0 while the same is in horiassasw zontal position, and it is accordingly very desirable to introduce the governor balls 30 in properly assembled 'relation. I have found that this may be accomplished in a very satisfactory manner by providing a governor ball drive assembly which serves as a cage to retain the balls in properly assembled/ relation. Generally described, this cage comprises an annular plate having generally radially extending slots, the side walls of which are inclined inwardly so as'to retain the balls 30 in place.

More specifically, the drive plate assembly 3| is made up of two separate metal plates '18 and respectively. As shown, the plate 18 is provided with a central opening 19, adapted to receive the reduced portion 32 of the cam shaft ID. A keyway I2 is provided at an edge of the opening 19 whereby the plate 18 may be keyed upon the cam shaft to rotate therewith. A plurality of radially extending elongated slots 73 are provided in the plate 18, and flanges 15 which taper inwardly at a slight angle are provided throughout the edges of said slots. The slots 13 are closed at their opposite ends, and the outer edge of the plate 18 is bent upwardly as indicated at 16. A plurality of oil holes 11 are also provided in the plate 18 for a purpose which will presently appear.

The plate 80 has a central opening 8| adapted to receive the reduced portion 32 of the cam shaft l0, and has a keyway 82 at an edge of the opening 8| so that the plate 8|] may be keyed upon the cam shaft to rotate therewith. The plate 80 is of smaller diameter than the plate 18 and is provided with slots 83 which are open at their outer ends. The slots 83 are the same in number, spacing and general arrangement as the slots 13 previously referred to, and differ therefrom primarily in the fact that they are not closed at their outer ends. The plate 80 is provided throughout the edges of the slots 83 with inwardly tapering flanges 85, and is provided with oil holes 81, similar to the oil holes 11.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that when the plates 18 and 8|] are assembled as shown in Figure 1, the balls 30 located Within the slots 13 and 83 will be retained in position by reason of the inward inclination of the flanges 15 and 85. Accordingly, in order to assemble the plates and balls, the balls are first positioned in the slots of one of the plates, the second plate is then brought into registry with the first plate, and the two plates are secured together as for example by spot welding. By virtue of this arrangement, the balls 30 are permanently retained in the drive plate assembly 3| but are freely movable in a radial direction anamount depending upon the length of the elongated slots thus provided. The foregoing construction is very desirable in assembling my improved governor structure, since the balls are first permanently assembled in the drive plate assembly therefor and may be introduced as a unit into the recess l6 formed in the gear I3.

Lubrication is provided for the governor through an oil hole 90, to which oil is introduced under pressure. A second oil passage 9| and an oil receiving ring 92 are formed in the cam shaft l0 and are adapted to receive oil in the order named from the oil hole 90. From the oil receiving ring 92 oil fiows through a passage 93 to a similar passage 94 formed in the gear l3, thence through oil holes 11 and 81 formed in the plates 18 and 80 respectively, and thence outwardly through similar holes formed in the washer 3.

As best seen in Figur 1, the plate 28 has a very sligm; clearance, th respect to the radially extending outward walls of the recess l8, and I have found that the provision ofv the transverse openings l'liii in this plate are desirable to prevent any possibility of a dash-pot effect taking place upon inward or outward movement of the plate 28 under the influence of the centrifugal means I! on the one hand, and the resiliently biased levers 55'and on the other hand.

For holding the cam shaft [0 against axial displacement, I have provided a washer ll between a shoulder lflla formed on the cam shaft and a second shoulder I02 formed on the gear l3.

With the foregoing description in niind, the assembly of the governor should be apparent. The gear I3 is mounted on the reduced portion 32 of .the cam shaft Ill. The sleeve 20 and its associated plate i 9 are mounted on the inner hub portion of the gear IS. The drive plate assembly together with the preassembled balls 30 What I claim asmy invention is:

1. In a governor, a shaft having inner and outer axially extending counterbores arranged end to end, the outer counterbore being larger in diameter than the inner counterbore, a plug seated within the inner counterbore and having an axially extending projection within the outer counterbore at its inner' end, ball bearings engaging the inner end of the outer counterbore in concentric relation to the projection of the plug, a ball substantially equal in diameter to the outer counterbore seated against the ball bearings and projecting endwise of the shaft for engagement with a spring biased lever of a throttle control, and a locking ring anchored within theouter counterbore at its outer end for retaining the ball in engagement with said ball bearings.

is placed on the reduced portion 32 of the cam shaft in keyed relation and is assembledthereon by the washer 33 and nut 34. The shaft 26 with its preassembled ball 10 and its plate 28 is then slipped into the counterbore in the end of the cam shaft [0. This completes the assembly of the centrifugal part of the governor.

In like manner the operation of the governor should be readily apparent. Upon rotation of the cam shaft Ill a like rotation is'imparted to the drive plate assembly ,3l', thus rotating the balls 30 about the axis of the cam shaft l0. As a result of the centrifugal action thus developed, the balls 30 tend to move radially outwardly, such movement being limited by the elongated slots 13 and 83. which receive the balls. Outward movement of the balls tends to move the plate 28 axially, thus moving the shaft 26 also axially of the cam shaft ID. This motion of the shaft 26 is opposed by the lever 5|, which is resiliently urged in a clockwise direction by the compression spring 51. Accordingly, the radially outward movement of the balls 30 is arrested at a point dependent upon the geometry of the governor. The governor is lubricated by oil passing through the oil passages Si, 92, 93, 94, TI and 81.

My improved governor not only is character- 2. In a governor, a shaft havfing inner and outer axially extending counte ores arranged end to end, the outer counter-bate being larger in diameter than the inner counterbore, ball bearings arranged in a circle against the inner end of the outer counterbore, an antifriction element substantially equal in diameter to the outer counterbore seated against the ball bearings and projecting endwise of the shaft for engagement with a spring biased lever of a throttle control, a locking ring anchored within the outer counterbore at its outer end for retaining the antifriction :element in engagement with said ball bearings, and means for locating the ballbearings in their proper operating position at the inner end of the outer bore for seating engagement with the'antifriction element, including a plug seated within the inner counterbore and having anaxially extending projection within the outer counterbore at its inner end.

3. In a governor, a shaft having inner and outer axially extending counterbores arranged end to end, the outer counterbore being larger in diameter than the inner counterbore, ball bearings arranged in a circle against the inner ized by the small amount of space which it takes up but also by its simplicity of design and. construction. Attention is also directed to the fact that the thrust developed by the centrifugal means is applied coaxially of the cam shaft. This contributes to the efliciency of the operation and prevents the possibility of any unbalanced force acting on different ones of the centrifugal balls 30.

It may be pointed out that during operation of the governor while the gear i3 is rotating, the plates l9 and 28 will normally pick up the same speed of rotation as the balls 30 but that upon change in speed of the engine, the plates l9 and 28 may have a slight differential rotation in order that the balls 30 may roll smoothly to a new position.

While I have illustrated and described in considerable detail a single preferred embodiment of my improved governor, it will be understood that this has been done solely to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the

scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

end of the outer counterbore, an antifriction element substantially equal in diameter to the outer counterbore seated against the ball bearings and projecting endwise of the shaft for engagement with a, spring biased lever of a throttle control, and a locking ring anchored within the outer counterbore at its outer end for retaining the antifriction element in engagement with said ball bearings. I

4. In a governor, a shaft having inner and outer axially extending counterbores arranged end to end, the outer counterbore'beinglarger in diameter than the inner counterbore, a plug seated within the inner counterbore and having an axially extending projection within the outer counterbore at its inner .end, ball bearings engaging the inner end of the outer counterbore in concentric relation to the projection of the plug, a ball substantially equal in diameter to the outer counterbore seated against the ball bearings and projecting endwise of the shaft for engagement with a spring biased lever of a throttle control, and means retaining the ball in engagement with said ball bearings,- the length of the projection within the outer counterbore being less than the diameter of the ball bearings whereby said projection terminates short of the space occupied by the ball.

5. In a governor, a rotary shaft provided with an axial recess in one end thereof, a centrifugally operated element in said recess movable axially-of said shaft, said element having a recess in its outer end, a projection located centrally of the second mentioned recess at the bottom thereof and forming with the walls of said second recess an annular race, a, plurality of small ball bearings insaid race, and a single ball mounted in the second mentioned recess in engagement with said bearings, the construction and arrangement of the single ball, secondrmentioned recess, and ball bearings being such that the single ball projects outwardly from the second recess for engagement with a spring biased member.

6. In a governor, a rotary shaft provided with an axial recess in one end thereof, a centrifugally operated element in said recess movable axially of said shaft, said element having a recess in its outer end, a projection located centrally of the second mentioned recess at the bottom thereof and forming with the Walls of said second recess an annular race, a plurality of small ball bearings in said race, a single ball mounted in the second mentioned recess in engagement with said bearings, the construction and arrangement of the single ball, second mentioned recess, and ball bearings being such that the single ball projects outwardly from the second recess for engagement with a spring biased member, and means carried by the centrifugally operated element for maintaining engagement between the single ball and said ball bearings.

7. In a governor, a shaft having inner and outer axially extending counterbores arranged end to end, the outer counterbore being larger in diameter than the inner counterbore, a plug seated within the inner counterbore and having an axially extending projection within the outer counterbore at its inner end, ball bearings engaging the inner end of the outer counterbore in concentric relation to the projection of said plug, and a single ball substantially equal in diameter to the outer counterbore seated againstthe ball bearings and projecting endwise of the shaft for engagement with a spring biased lever of a throttle control.

8. In a governor, a shaft having inner and outer axially extending counterbores arranged end to end, the outer counterbore being larger in diameter than the inner counterbore, a plug seated within the inner counterbore and having an axially extending projection within the outer counterbore at its inner end, ball bearings engaging the inner end of the outer counterbore in concentric relation to the projection of said plug, a single ball seated against the ball bearings and projecting endwise of the shaft for engagement with a spring biased lever of a throttle'control, and means retaining the single ball in engagement with said ball bearings.

' HERMAN G. ADLER; 

